Have you ever wondered why you need a shepherd? Of course not. We are not sheep! But we do need a shepherd. We need to be led as Christians by the Great Shepherd because He will lead us to the place of promise. He will lead us to the place of safety and care.
Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. Let’s take a look at what He said.
Truly I say to you I am the door for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them….
The thief comes to destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly…
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep..
As believers, we are under the care of the Good Shepherd. Life can be so hard. We all have things we are dealing with and we are like sheep who tend to stray from our Shepherd. We want to be in charge but we lose our way. We sometimes resemble bleating sheep who continually fall into a rut, are unable to find their way out, and are left hoping that someone will get them out of the mess they created.
Sheep actually do this. They can fall into a rut when they wander and suddenly they find themselves literally stuck in the rut. They can often be found upside down because gas builds up in their bellies and they cannot right themselves. If the shepherd does not find them in a certain period of time, they will die.
Are you in a rut today? Frustrated with your children? Your job? Your spouse? We all have days and even seasons of struggle, but the question is what do we do about it?. The answer is to call on the Good Shepherd and ask Him to help us out of the rut. It could be we are stuck in a certain pattern of unhealthy behavior or we simply cannot let go of control. We may need to humble ourselves and not dig our heels further into the rut. Our Shepherd knows where we are stuck and why. The Holy Spirit is waiting for us to surrender and allow Him to gently lift us out of the pit, put us on the right path, and bring us to a place of security. But…
And that is a big BUT…
We have to trust the Good Shepherd. Trust seems to be a big issue these days. Our society has set us up to be self-sufficient. Maybe today is the day you let go and let God. Maybe today is the day you turn towards Him and away from self-sufficiency, He can handle your rough patch in ways you have never imagined.
